Coming To America

FROM FRANCE to Florida is quite a ride, even for three former winners of the Tour de France - Greg Lemond, Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado - who will ride in the 1989 Tour of the Americas. The field includes nine of Europe's top professional bicycle racing teams and the best three pro teams from the United States. The 640-mile Americas tour includes the U.S., Mexico and Venezuela and winds up with criterium races Feb. 25 in West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale and Feb. 26 in Miami Beach.

We have a Fran Vazquez update for you: The Spanish power forward apparently is closer to washing up on Orlando's shores. Decir lo que? (Say what?) The Magic say Vazquez — who stood them up after they drafted him in the first round in 2005 — is coming around to joining them for the 2011-12 season. He has another year left on his contract with FC Barcelona. "It's more open now than it has been in the past with Fran," Magic assistant general manager Dave Twardzik told the Sentinel.

The Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler counties is sponsoring an evening with Bob and Annetta Glickman in Coming to America at 7 p.m. July 27 at the Daytona Beach Hilton, 2673 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores.Those attending will hear, in music, the story of parents and grandparents and their courageous decision to fulfill their dream of Coming to America, a world filled with opportunity and the promise of a good life. Come and enjoy the show and learn the hora, folk dancing and line dancing.

I get very upset at people who say, "If you come to America, you should speak English." Those who come here are seeking a better life and a secure future. Unfortunately, some of those who move here know only the language from their country of origin. They are willing, and trying, to learn English. Do you, as an American, know another language? If you were forced to move to another country tomorrow, would you know the language? I speak five languages, so when I came to Florida 21 years ago, I had no problems communicating.

Columnist Art Buchwald has won another battle in his legal war against Paramount Pictures. An appeal court refused Wednesday to intercede, clearing the way for a third phase of the trial over profits from Coming to America.Paramount had asked the California 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles to take the unusual action of stepping into the case in mid-trial to review the decision of Superior Court Judge Harvey Schneider that Paramount's formula for calculating the net profits due to writer Buchwald was ''unconscionable.

EDDIE MURPHY'S manager said Tuesday a lawsuit filed by satirical columnist Art Buchwald was just one of several unfounded attempts to get credit for the story of the star's hit movie Coming to America. 'Everybody's saying, 'I did the story,' '' Robert Wachs said, referring to a slew of lawsuits surrounding the tale of an African prince who comes to America in search of love. The film grossed more than $127 million last summer. ''Eddie Murphy wrote it and that's the truth,'' Wachs said. Buchwald, in a $5 million suit filed in Los Angeles on Monday, alleged the distributor of Coming to America, Paramount Pictures Corp.

A SCREENWRITER who claims his ideas were stolen for the movie Harlem Nights has filed a $35 million lawsuit against Eddie Murphy, who lost a similar case in January over Coming to America. Michael Greene, 35, charged Tuesday that Harlem Nights contains material lifted from a screenplay Greene wrote for Murphy called A Halloween to Remember. Both scripts were about 8-year-old orphans being raised by underworld characters, both were set in the 1930s and both had a corrupt Italian plainclothes cop - Sgt. Pallone in Greene's version and Sgt. Cantone in the movie, Greene said.

PAULA ABDUL will bring her high-energy singing and dancing style to this year's Academy Awards as the glitzy Hollywood celebration's choreographer, Oscar officials said. Although perhaps best known as a singer and dancer, Abdul was the choreographer for the movies Coming to America and The Running Man. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present this year's Oscars in Los Angeles on March 26.

- COMING SOON. Central Florida's growing entertainment industry has drawn CP Communications Inc. of New York. The company, which provides wire and wireless equipment, such as walkie-talkies, microphones and intercoms to the entertainment and convention market, plans to open an office in February at the Quorum Center on Vineland Road. CP's clients include the major broadcast and cable-TV networks and political conventions. Its equipment was used by production crews in such movies as Working Girl, Big and Coming to America.

Paramount Pictures was ordered Monday to pay Art Buchwald $150,000 and his partner $750,000 for their contributions to the hit 1988 Eddie Murphy movie Coming to America.Judge Harvey Schneider, who ordered the award, had ruled in January 1990 that the movie was based upon a screenplay idea submitted by Buchwald.Buchwald and Alain Bernheim had sought $6.2 million. Paramount says the comedy, which has grossed more than $350 million worldwide, has lost money under the studio's ''net profits'' accounting rules.

It is almost stylish to speak badly of being an American. Why is this when people are still coming to America to take advantage of the opportunities and freedom here? In a recent column, Tammy Carter wrote about her realization of "how arrogant and/or ignorant we Americans can be" after a trip to Paris -- a city in a country that would still be digging itself out of the rubble of World War II if not for American soldiers and American money. Carter also wrote about Muslim women and the headscarves they and other women around the world wear.

After years of touting its pending arrival, Mercedes-Benz executives have said the small, ungainly-looking A-Class isn't coming to America after all. The reason: It's too uncool for this side of the ocean. In its place will be a new small car spawned by the styling and content changes that Mercedes-Benz and its dealers demanded for the A-Class, which was scheduled to arrive in 2005. The new car, code-named CST, will arrive here in 2005 and will be sold worldwide as a stand-alone class.

Coming to America has never been easy. So much water and land to cross, so much to leave behind. Where is home? Tuan Tran discovered, as many others have before him, that home is where you live. But that doesn't mean that traditions should be buried, lost forever. People who come to this country bring their cultures with them, adding to the rainbow. Tuan wanted to do something to ensure that the ways of his youth in Vietnam would be valued by the next generation. Yes, he thought, he could teach them . . . if they would listen.

The past three years have been a series of trade-offs for Orlando Jackals goalie Sergei Naumov.The native of Latvia, a former Soviet Republic, has had success since coming to America in 1994.He has won two Central Hockey League championships in 1996 and 1997 for the San Diego Gulls.The trade-off, however, is that he is a world away from his homeland.''It is sad that I don't really have time to go home,'' said Naumov, who won the CHL playoff Most Valuable Player award in 1996.As hard as it might be living so far from home, however, Naumov does not want to go back.

The Jewish Federation of Volusia and Flagler counties is sponsoring an evening with Bob and Annetta Glickman in Coming to America at 7 p.m. July 27 at the Daytona Beach Hilton, 2673 S. Atlantic Ave., Daytona Beach Shores.Those attending will hear, in music, the story of parents and grandparents and their courageous decision to fulfill their dream of Coming to America, a world filled with opportunity and the promise of a good life. Come and enjoy the show and learn the hora, folk dancing and line dancing.

Michael Bonhomme sees the world in dark and light.Colors in a limited palette of hues can be discerned - but not much else.At 17, he mostly imagines what the world is like. His own face, his mother's eyes, his new American friend are all images in his head. Michael is legally blind. Soon, though, he will be able to see.A retired nurse whose goal since the end of World War II was to go on a medical mission abroad has realized a dream in Michael. She's helping him in his quest to see.Violet Reed raised money to bring Michael to the United States from Haiti and has found a surgeon, a hospital staff and other help.

Coming to America has never been easy. So much water and land to cross, so much to leave behind. Where is home? Tuan Tran discovered, as many others have before him, that home is where you live. But that doesn't mean that traditions should be buried, lost forever. People who come to this country bring their cultures with them, adding to the rainbow. Tuan wanted to do something to ensure that the ways of his youth in Vietnam would be valued by the next generation. Yes, he thought, he could teach them . . . if they would listen.

Just as the first boat people in more than 35 years have been returned to Cuba against their will, along comes The Perez Family, a movie drama that harks back to the more welcoming era of the '80s.The focus of this fictional film (which opens today) is a family of boat people who actually aren't a family. All four are named Perez, but they are not related and, in fact, were strangers before setting out for Miami.These Perezes pose as relatives because families stand a better chance of finding American sponsors than individuals do.Juan Raul (Alfred Molina)

David Feherty's wit is sharper than his iron game, and his IQ is somewhere around a 36-hole score.He is everything the typical PGA Tour clone is not: worldly, wise and well-rounded with a healthy sense of humor and perspective.Feherty of Northern Ireland might be a dark horse among the 37 international golfers looking to close out the first foreign grand slam at this week's PGA Championship, but he is always a bright spot in a locker room.Feherty doesn't have Nick Faldo's precision, Nick Price's patience or Ernie Els' potential, but he has personality.